To Be Human

Chapter 24 - Last of the Time Lords

Last of the Time Lords, part 2 -

In the morning, the Oracle was standing on the flight deck next to Jack, the tape back on her mouth. On the other side of the room stood the Jones family as guards brought in Martha.

The table in the centre of the room was gone so Martha could walk in a straight line all the way up to the platform the Master stood on while catching glimpses to the sides at her friends and family.

"Your teleport device. In case you thought I'd forgotten", the Master held out his hand.

Martha retrieved the vortex manipulator from a pocket by her thigh and threw it to him. He caught it.

"And now, kneel", she did, "Down below, the fleet is ready to launch. Two hundred thousand ships set to burn across the universe. Are we ready?"

Over the comm, a man spoke, "The fleet awaits your signal. Rejoice!"

"Three minutes to align the black hole converters. Counting down", a timer started, "I never could resist a ticking clock. My children, are you ready?"

The Master jumped and turned to Martha, "At zero, to mark this day, the child Martha Jones, will die. My first blood. Any last words? No? Such a disappointment, this one. Days of old, Doctor, you had companions who could absorb the time vortex. This one's useless", he pointed his laser screwdriver at her, "Bow your head. And so it falls to me, as Master of all, to establish from this day, a new order of Time Lords. From this day forward-"

He was interrupted by Martha laughing and lowered his screwdriver, "What? What's so funny?"

"A gun?", Martha looked up at him.

"What about it?"

"A gun in four parts?"

"Yes, and I destroyed it."

"A gun in four parts scattered across the world? I mean, come on, did you really believe that?"

The Oracle scrunched her eyebrows in confusion, not having heard the plan the Doctor and Martha had made up.

"What do you mean?", the Master asked.

"As if I would ask her to kill", the Doctor stood up and grabbed the bars of his cage again.

"Oh well, it doesn't matter. I've got her exactly where I want her."

"But I knew what Professor Docherty would do. The Resistance knew about her son. I told her about the gun, so she'd get me here at the right time."

"Oh, but you're still going to die", the aster replied with a grin.

"Don't you want to know what I was doing, travelling the world?"

"Tell me", he said mockingly.

"I told a story, that's all. No weapons, just words. I did just what the Doctor said. I went across the continents all on my own. And everywhere I went, I found the people, and I told them my story."

The Oracle smiled below her tape with teary eyes, figuring out the Doctor's plan.

"I told them about the Doctor. And I told them to pass it on, to spread the word so that everyone would know about the Doctor."

"Faith and hope? Is that all?", he mocked them.

"No, because I gave them an instruction, just as the Doctor said", she stood up, "I told them that if everyone thinks of one word, at one specific time-"

"Nothing will happen", the Master interrupted her, "Is that your weapon? Prayer?"

"Right across the world, in word, just one thought at one moment but with fifteen satellites."